Students at Riverbank High School were finally able to return to campus and the classrooms of their favorite teachers last week.
School buses dropped off a few students at the bus circle, but most either parked or were dropped off in the east parking lot, adjacent to the school’s sports stadium, the Ray Fauria Memorial Gymnasium and the tennis courts.
From there, it is a short walk to the quad, and surrounding classrooms.
RHS teacher and coach Monte Wood welcomed students back as he met them at the door, checking off the class roll and showing them their new seats.
The seats are socially distanced, with Plexiglas barriers on three sides.
Classes resumed on campus Thursday, March 25, with Cohort ‘A’ of the students attending their fourth, fifth and sixth period classes. Cohort ‘B’ did the same on Friday. The groups meet in their first through third period classes on Mondays and Tuesdays, respectively. Wednesdays, students all continue their at-home, online studies.
Wood kidded with his students that it had been 372 days since they were last in classrooms, since mid-March of 2020.
RHS Principal Greg Diaz noted that he has 754 total students enrolled this year, with about 140 continuing with their virtual lessons, opting to stay on distance learning. He said there were about 300 students in each cohort, meeting on campus.